


Baby steps

by Royalyanjun



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Kindergarten & Pre-school, Bussiness student ziyi, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, Grief/Mourning, Kid Fic, Kids chengstin, Law student yanjun, M/M, Music student xukun, OT4, Single parent zhengting, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-06 17:16:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15199631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Royalyanjun/pseuds/Royalyanjun
Summary: Zhengting was a father.Zhengting was now a father of two toddlersHe never thought his life would turn out like this  but here he was, moving into his new apartment complex.An apartment complex filled with good looking guys who apparently like kids.What exactly was his life again?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> As usual like my many fics, i have no idea where this came from.
> 
> But here is my latest fic featuring chengstin as twin toddlers, yanjun as a law student, xukun as a music major, ziyi as a rich ass bussiness major student and zhengting as a dad

Zhu Zhengting has always loved kids, they were his favourite people in the world. Because kids were very innocent and pure and Zhengting likes to stay with them away from the ugly world. 

 

His baby cousin Quanzhe means the world to him. He was also the very reason Zhengting wanted to be a kindergarten teacher.  He even did some teaching at his local nursery for extra credit. He just really loved it there.

 

But the thing is Zhengting never imagined his life would turn out like this, that in a few short months he would go from someone who wants to teach kids to someone who has to raise them.

 

But here he was, moving into his new apartment complex with his two nephews. Minghao and Cheng Cheng. Life can change in a blink of an eye, he knows that now all too well.

 

_ A few months ago. _

 

_ Zhengting barely registered Wenjun’s voice as he desperately tried to hold onto sleep. It had been one hell of a night. It hadn't been too long after nine when they had tried their best taking care of his two nephews, they had fed them, bathed them, read them stories, and finally finally put them down. _

 

_ It had been such a wonderful experience for him, but also so very tiring so he was more than happy to crawl into his sister's spare room and drop himself into bed with his boyfriend of six months. At first, Zhengting had been wary when Wenjun had agreed way to easily to spend the day taking care of the twins while his sister Meiqi and her wife Yamy had some quality time together. _

 

_ The two of them hadn't had much time with each other after they had adopted the twins, the adoption itself was a secret. Despite being together for years, his sister's relationship with her wife was never accepted by Yamy’s parents. So the two of them had kept everything a secret, only letting Zhengting know. _

 

_ Zhengting was always the first one to know about anything concerning his sister because they were so close. _

 

_ “Zhengting wake up.” _

 

_ Zhengting groaned and shut his eyes even tighter.  _

 

_ “Zhengting come on wake up,” Wenjun said softly, his hand on Zhengting's shoulder pressing it a bit. _

_ Zhengting moved away from the offending appendage, he just wants to sleep. He didn't really register the urgency in Wenjun’s voice. _

 

_ “Zheng, the hospital called, I answered your phone,” Wenjun tells him and Zhengting finally rolls over not having heard a word Wenjun had said. _

 

_ “Whaaaat? Are the twins awake?” he whines. _

 

_ “No, it's not… them, Zhengting the hospital…” Wenjun trailed off, he looked sick and Zhengting now sits up in alarm. _

 

_ “Hospital? Is someone sick? Is it you?” Zhengting asks frantically. _

 

_ “No it's not me, but yes the hospital called. Yamy and Meiqi were in an accident, Zheng they..” _

 

_ “NO,” Zhengting says loudly and childishly. _

 

_ “Zheng, they are…”  _

 

_ “Shut up Wenjun, do not speak, do not talk okay.” _

 

_ “Zhengting they were both dead on arrival, we have to go to the hospital.” _

 

_ “Shut up, you are lying to me, my sister is at the hotel having a wonderful time with his wife. She is not in some hospital.” _

 

_ “Zhengting please…” Wenjun begs. _

 

_ “No, my sister is alive and well, get out of here,” Zhengting says, pushing Wenjun away, his mind fully telling him that Wenjun is hurting him. But somewhere deep inside him. Zhengting knew that it was true. _

 

_ That his beloved sister was gone. _

 

_ The sister who was always always there for him was gone and Zhengting will never hug her, never talk to her again. Zhengting will no longer have the one person in his life who has never let him down. _

 

_ The person who bought him his first make up item when he was fourteen, the one who just knew that Zhengting liked things like that instead of the sports his dad was trying to get him into. _

 

_ Zhengting will never forget the day Meiqi had taken his hand and made him put makeup on her, when she was getting ready for her first date with the way too old for her Yamy. He had been against the relationship, but Meiqi had told him stories about Yamy and Zhengting had seen the blissful smile on her face whenever she talked about Yamy. _

 

_ Zhengting had eventually relented about their relationship. When he came out officially, Meiqi and Yamy had stood right next to him, Meiqi staring down at their father like she was daring him to say anything negative about Zhengting. _

 

_ And now, now she was gone. _

 

_ Zhengting was supposed to just accept she was gone. _

 

_ Suddenly there was a loud wail and the inner turmoil of Zhengting becomes worse. The kids, the twins… what was he supposed to do with the kids? How was he supposed to explain to them that their moms are never coming back. _

 

_ “Do you want me to go get them?” Wenjun asks quietly and Zhengting shook his head before climbing out of the bed that he had been rooted in. Zhengting nearly face plants when his legs hit the floor and Wenjun catches him but Zhengting moves away from his touch. _

 

_ Zhengting makes it into the kids room and sees the youngest of the two, Minghao, or as Yamy liked to call him, Justin, was screaming his little head off, like he knew something bad had happened. The screaming stops the minute he sees Zhengting and he rushes foward to pick him up careful not to wake the other one up even though Zhengting knows that's pointless. _

 

_ They do have to wake them up because Zhengting had to get to the hospital, Zhengting had to call his parents and inform them. _

 

_ Zhengting quietly starts changing Justin and bundling him up while Wenjun just stares at him helplessly, he cannot bring himself to even feel bad about it and he knows it's not fair on Wenjun.  _

 

_ Zhengting  hands him Justin without a word and goes to get Cheng Cheng, he quickly dressed up the sleeping toddler too. The boy was a heavy sleeper. _

 

_ After that Zhengting gets his coat and puts it on over his pajamas. He looks around for a bit and sucks in a breath when he sees Meiqi smiling at him as she hands him a cup of coffee that she had made that morning. _

 

_ Zhengting staggers and nearly drops Cheng Cheng who stirs a bit but doesn't wake up. This is not the time for you to break down Zhengting. You can't break down. _

 

_ What happens next is a huge blur, everything just blended together, the funeral, the discovering of the twins who refused to let anyone who wasn't Zhengting near them, and his break up with Wenjun. _

 

_ Zhengting just didn't have the energy or the time to even think about a relationship, so he had slowly broken up with Wenjun and wished him well. He thinks if everything hadn't happened the two of them would have been happy together. _

 

_ But it had. _

 

_ The week after the funeral life was slowly getting back to normal for everyone except for Zhengting, who still lived in his sister's house without touching anything, without moving anything out of its place, Zhengting had a visit from his mother. _

 

_ “Zhengting honey, this isn't healthy,” his mom told him sadly.  _

 

_ Zhengting looks at his mom, the woman who used to be so strong now reduced to tears every five seconds, but he finds himself incapable of feeling any sympathy for anyone. Zhengting was just tired. _

 

_ “Zhengting, a lawyer came to our house yesterday,” his mother continued, the words made Zhengting sit up abruptly nearly waking up the sleeping Justin on his chest. _

 

_ “What did they want mom?” Zhengting asks hoarsely, his throat hurt from not using it for so long and all the crying he does when he is in the shower. _

 

_ “They um… wanted me to give you this,” his mother said, holding out a big brown envelope. _

 

_ “What is It?”  _

 

_ “Something that belongs to you now.” _

 

_ “Huh? Like what?” _

 

_ “Everything, they left everything to you Zhengting, even the kids.” _

 

Justin shrieks loudly when his stuffed toy fell down and Zhengting is brought out of his thoughts.

 

“Jus honey, please don't shriek everytime you want something, please baby I have a headache,” Zhengting says as he picks up the toy and hands it over to Justin who beams at him.

 

Zhengting thanks the movers when they are finally done and he closes the door.

 

“Well kids, here we are. Home sweet home.”

 

\-----------------------------------

 

A week, it's been a long ass week and Lin Yanjun was just done with his life. Whoever said family law was easier compared to the others was a freaking liar and deserved to be punched in the face.

 

There was nothing easy about his studies, nothing at all.

 

But he was finally done with his midterms and now he can at long last shower and be dead to the world for the next two days. Yes, he was planning on sleeping that long. Yanjun walks into his apartment complex with his heavy bag and his unchanged clothes from yesterday and probably looks like roadkil,l when he notices the trash outside the his neighbour’s door.

 

Woah did he finally get a new neighbour? Because the last one was was girl and her noisy ass roommates who kept hitting on Yanjun whenever he saw them. Not that he can blame them though, hello have you seen him?

 

Yanjun smirks as he opened the door to his apartment, the attention had been nice but letting them down and telling them he was gay was even better. He still cackles when he remembers the look on their faces.

 

He goes inside his apartment and heads straight for a shower, a long hot shower and when he's done, he finally feels like a human being again. Yanjun checks his phone and opens his fridge to see if he has anything to eat. Usually he does but after the long week, not so much.

 

Yanjun just orders take out and switches on his TV to see if he can find anything interesting, when his phone vibrates. He has an influrry of texts from his friends. Midterms were over so everyone on campus was in a party mood, but unfortunately he wasn't.

 

He used to be, life of the party until that night and nope no way in hell was he going to put himself through that again. Yanjun replies to his texts and decides to switch off his phone. No more disturbances.

 

The food arrives and he immediately digs in and stuffs himself after which he drops himself on his unmade bed and shuts his eyes and the world out. Except it doesn't quite get shut out because fifteen minutes into his sleep and he is woken up by a piercing scream.

 

Wait his new neighbour had a kid? He thought this building only accepted university students and who in their right mind would have kids when they were still in college? Isn’t what protection is for? To prevent such things.

 

Yanjun ignores it and goes to sleep by forcing himself too. 

 

This continues for several nights, and Yanjun who just wanted to enjoy the little vacation he had, could not stand it anymore. So on the fifth night when he goes to bed, there was no screaming that night and Yanjun couldn’t be happier so he just closes his eyes and shuts the world out.

 

But just like always, the screaming starts right as he's about to sink deeper into dreamland.

 

Yanjun shakes his head and goes back to sleep, well he tries to. The screams kept getting louder and louder and his earlier headache seems to have return with a vengeance and that was it. He was no stranger to loud noises, hello he's a college student but he can take party noise but This? Screaming babies at 1 am on  a freaking daily basis, that he cannot take.

 

Yanjun was going to go right over and demand they keep it down. If they didn't know how to take care of kids then they shouldn't have had them. Yanjun gets up and heads over there.

 

Yanjun knocks the first time and no one answers, he knocks again but again no answer. So he knocks even louder and wow he is now completely irritated and annoyed. Just who the hell was his new neighbour? When the door opens the wailing inside seems even louder and he meets a guy, a tired disheveled guy who looks like he was about to keel over anytime.

 

The guy was in his pajamas bouncing baby the screaming on his hip to no avail and suddenly Yanjun is just not angry anymore. This guy seems like he was going through hell. Yanjun has seen many young parents like this at his internship at the law firm across town.

 

Young parents who are struggling to keep their kids. And he has no doubt it was the same for this new neighbour. 

 

“Hi, can I help you?” the guy asks politely and Yanjun winces when he sees how tired his eyes looked despite him smiling. That smile hits him though. Wow the guy was pretty.

 

“Hi...i..uh..” Yanjun stutters.

 

Yanjun stutters, he has never done that before. Smooth suave Lin Yanjun just stuttered and if his friends were there they might have passed out from the shock.

 

“Oh is it the noise that's bothering you? I'm so sorry, it's just… I really have no idea what's wrong with him tonight. He refuses to go to sleep and keeps crying and I have no idea what I'm doing,” the pretty boy rambles.

 

“No it's okay… can I come in?” Yanjun blurts out before he can stop himself.

 

What the hell are you doing Lin Yanjun? Since when do you go into random people's apartment?.

 

“Uh.. what?” the guy asks wide eyed, even the kid has stopped screaming and is looking at him curiously with his cheeks all red from all the screaming. Yanjun finds himself mesmerized by the sight of both the guy and the baby.

 

Then the baby raises his chubby hands like he wants Yanjun to carry him and suddenly his fellow intern's word come back to him.

 

_ “Damn, you are like a baby whisperer,” Ruoatian had said after Yanjun had picked up one of their client’s baby and the kid had immediately quieted down. _

 

“May I?” he asks and his neighbour simply nods and hands him the child.

 

Yanjun coos at the kid who beams at him again and giggles.

 

“Um, who are you?” his neighbour asks as he moves away allowing Yanjun to step into the apartment.  The apartment was exactly the same as his but while his seemed spacious and huge, this one looks small with all the clutter laying around and there was even boxes in the corner. 

 

Obviously his neighbour hadn't even finished unpacking yet, no wonder he was exhausted.

 

“I'm Lin Yanjun,  your next door neighbour,” Yanjun answers and his neighbour gives him a tired smile which still makes his heart flutter.

 

“I'm Zhu Zhengting and that little rascal is Justin, well technically it's Hinghao but his, um mum, nicknamed him Justin,” his neighbour- Zhengting rambles.

 

Yanjun makes faces at the toddler in his arms and the kid giggles again. When he looks up he finds Zhengting sprawled on the sofa, sighing like it's the first time he's allowed himself to relax in days. But just as he was getting comfortable, another wail could be heard and Yanjun looks at him surprised as Zhengting stands up with a groan.

 

“Oh yeah, they are twins,” Zhengting informs him as he goes into the bedroom and appears with another toddler seconds later, “This one is Cheng Cheng.”

 

Yanjun just stares at him. His neighbour had twins. No wonder he looked like death warmed over. Justin squeals at the sight of his brother. Zhengting moves closer to where Yanjun was so the kids could be near each other.

 

Then he hears a rumbling and Zhengting flushes red like he was embarrassed. He has nothing to be embarrassed about. Yanjun then thinks of the food he had ordered, he had leftovers.

 

“Um..” Zhengting says awkwardly. Yanjun just smiles at him before handing Justin to him who pouts and looks ready to scream again.

 

“Uh huh little guy, behave okay? I'm just gonna go to my house and get something for your dad to eat okay?”

 

“What? You don't have to do that,” Zhengting protests and even his argument is cute. What the fuck Lin Yanjun? What are you even doing right now?

 

Yanjun doesn't even listen to Zhengting anymore he just quickly rushed to his apartment and grabs the take out containers and takes them back to Zhengting's apartment. When he gets there, he finds Zhengting cuddling Justin and Cheng Cheng who is playing on the floor.

 

Zhengting has his eyes closed but Yanjun can tell he wasn't really asleep but Justin was. Cheng Cheng looks up at him and Yanjun quickly puts his finger on his lips so that he stays quiet and the toddler listens to him. Yanjun places the food on the coffee table as quietly as he can.

 

Before he goes and touches Zhengting hesitantly, his pretty neighbour's eyes flutter open and Yanjun just points at Justin and Zhengting almost groans before he slowly stands up with the kid and goes to put him down.

 

The clock on the wall says it's almost 2 a.m. at night and Yanjun yet again wonders what he is doing in his neighbours apartment.

 

Zhengting comes back and just drops himself on the couch, the action startles Yanjun who is now busy building blocks with Cheng Cheng.

 

“Oh, go ahead and eat, little prince and I are just gonna build these blocks here,” Yanjun tells him gesturing at the food on the table. Zhengting looks at him hesitantly but Yanjun doesn't waver his gaze until his neighbour gives in, Zhengting then gets up to heat the food before he comes back and digs in.

 

Zhengting literally moans when he takes a bite and the sound goes straight to Yanjun's groin and he quickly thinks about anything apart from his pretty neighbour.

 

“So um what do you study?” Zhengting asks as he eats an egg roll.

 

“Law,” Yanjun answers simply and Zhengting sends him an impressed look.

 

“What kind of law?” 

 

“Family.”

 

“Huh.”

 

“What?”

 

“Nothing, just with that face of yours I thought you would be doing criminal law or corporate.”

 

“Well I'm sorry to disappoint but I'm doing family law, the most boring kind of law according to everyone out there.”

 

“Hey don't say that. I think it's cool,” Zhengting tells him with a smile and Yanjun returns it.

 

“What about you?” Yanjun inquires as he picks up the now exhausted Cheng Cheng who clings to him and Yanjun smiles at baby.

 

When his neighbour doesn't reply Yanjun looks up and sees him with a sad expression on his face. And Yanjun immediately feels bad for asking. He is about to apologise when Zhengting replies.

 

“Um, I was studying to be a teacher,  a kindergarten teacher actually. Unfortunately I had to drop out.”

 

And yup, Yanjun definitely wants to kick himself.

 

But Yanjun has always been an overly curious person so he just blurts out the next words.

 

“I thought this complex was just for college kids.”

 

At that Zhengting smiles at him, “Oh I happen to know the owner of the building.”

 

Yanjun raises his eyebrows at that and Zhengting laughs, a soft melodious sound. Yanjun likes it instantly.

 

“Oh he's asleep too,” Zhengting says in wonder.

 

“Yeah,” Yanjun smiles at him.

 

“Give him here, I'll take him to bed,” Zhengting says putting down his chopsticks.

 

Yanjun shakes his head and he stands up, “Nope you finish eating, I'll do it”

 

“But you don't even know where he sleeps,” Zhengting protests as he now eats his fried rice.

 

“I'll figure it out,” Yanjun replies before he heads to the bedroom where he finds the other baby cot and gently puts Cheng Cheng down before covering him up.

 

He grabs the baby monitor he sees and turns on the other one before he goes out of the room. When he gets to the living room he finds his neighbour about to faceplant into the empty containers and he quickly prevents that from happening by catching him and slowly laying him down.

 

Yanjun then looks around for a blanket but doesn't see any so he goes to the room and grabs the one on the bed. The apartment had two rooms but it seems like his neighbour slept in the same room with his kids.

 

He must really love his children a lot. When Yanjun was young, he used to think that parents loving their kids was a given. But now that he was older and was constantly fighting with his dad because he didn't become a prosecutor like he was and all the crap he sees at the office, Yanjun was starting to believe a parents love may not be unconditional after all.

 

Yanjun debates on whether he should leave or stay. He feels like he's intruded enough so he decides to leave. He goes to his apartment and crawls into his bed and this time he really does shut the world out. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who put up with my rants and helped me with this, especially chii and Kat who I kept disturbing with annoying dms. 
> 
> And thanks to vivi who helped me with editing.
> 
> Anyways please enjoy reading and leave me some comments and kudos please.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys here is an update... writer's block is a bitch but I got this one done

The next few days Zhengting gets to know his new neighbour, gets to know him from a distance,  his very very very handsome neighbour. How can one person be that handsome? He can't afford to like anyone, honestly look at his life,  what guy would want to deal with all that?

 

Plus, he barely has time even for himself, so despite the fact that Yanjun keeps coming to his apartment to play with the twins because apparently he's a boring college student, which Zhengting doesn't believe for a second. He was way too handsome to be single.

 

A week after the night they had met and Zhengting really doesn't like how he has come to depend on his neighbour, especially when it comes to the kids. The distance Zhengting was hell bent on keeping like how he barely talks to the law student was starting to get blurred when Zhengting had to ask for help from his neighbour when Justin just wouldn't sleep.

 

Yanjun had quickly figured out that Justin wanted a pacifier and Zhengting had included that on his long shopping list. The kids’ stuff was way too expensive and having to buy two of everything was quickly wiping out whatever little money he had left.

 

Zhengting is gonna to have to find a job soon. The social worker was scheduled to visit in a months time and Zhengting needs to have a job by then. He really doesn't want to give Yamy's parents a reason to take the boys away from him.

 

Zhengting will die if that happens.

 

“Hey what are you looking at?” a voice says behind him and Zhengting jumps a foot in the air and shrieks, sounding very much like Justin at the moment.  He turns around and sees Yanjun holding Cheng Cheng and smiling at him with those stupid dimples that Zhengting had found endearing when he first saw them but now, not so much.

 

Zhengting would have cursed but he couldn't, not with the kids staring curiously at him already for shrieking, thank God they didn't get startled and start screaming themselves. He would have killed Yanjun.

 

“How did you even get in here?” Zhengting demands, his hand still on his chest.

 

“Your door was unlocked.”

 

Right. Zhengting must have forgotten to lock it.

 

“Don't you have class today?”

 

“Yeah but I have some time before so I thought I'd say hi,” Yanjun replies still smiling as he puts Cheng Cheng down who refuses to let go.

 

The kids have formed a habit of being clingy to him. Zhengting doesn't like it at all. They don't even know him that well, but all the books he bought about babies told him that it's completely normal for babies to get attached to someone they see a lot and that scares Zhengting.

 

“Well, hi and now bye,” Zhengting tells him with a sarcastic smile.

 

“I'm not here to say hi to you, I'm here for the kids,” Yanjun counters his voice equally as sarcastic.

 

Zhengting shakes his head and goes back to looking up jobs available in the area while his neighbour makes himself comfortable.

 

It becomes a daily occurrence. Yanjun showing up at random times, and one thing Zhengting has learned is that his neighbour was a shameless flirt. His pick up lines were each worse than the other one and he keeps saying them at the most random of times.

 

But Zhengting was also starting to realise that he looked forward to seeing his neighbour and when he doesn't show up, he actually feels a little disappointed and he quickly stops himself from doing so.

 

Like today, Yanjun hasn't shown up for two days now and Zhengting was a bit disappointed especially since the twins are finally learning how to pick up things, something Yanjun has been teaching them.

 

The boys have not really noticed his absence and Zhengting was doing everything to prevent that since they have been way calmer than before.

 

Zhengting sighs as he bundles up the kids, he has to go grocery shopping, this was going to be a hassle. He really hopes the kids don't get fussy and start screaming. 

 

He quickly gets out of his apartment and for a second he just stares at his neighbour's door before he snaps out of it. The thing is, he misses Yanjun. He doesn't want to even admit how much. He misses him barging through his door unannounced, he misses the way he always brought some type of food with him, or sometimes he even came with toys for the kids.

 

The stuffed elephant he gave Justin is one of his favourites, Justin carries it with him everywhere. Zhengting wonders if his kid can tell who gave that to him, then again not to brag, oh who was he kidding, he was totally bragging; his kids were smart.

 

Zhengting gets into the elevator with the stroller.

 

\-------------------------------------

 

Cai Xukun hates his life, seriously, these girls won't leave him alone. They follow him everywhere ever since Bufan, that tall idiot, had dared him to sing at the local bar and Xukun who had been drunk at the time had agreed to it.

 

“I hate you,” Xukun glowers at Bufan when yet another girl tries to give him a love letter.

 

“It was freshmen year Kun, get over it,” Bufan tells him in a whisper as he rolls his eyes. 

 

Exactly, Xukun has been dealing with this for two years so no, he won't get over it. This was all Bufan's fault. As Yueyue always says, everything was Bufan's fault.

 

“I don't know why you are so pissed off about this, I mean it can't be that bad,” Xingjie whispers next to him with that shit-eating grin of his that makes Xukun shove him. Ugh he needs new friends.

 

Xukun and his friends were at the library working on their sixty page assignment that was worth almost half their grade. Who knew music theory had that importance. Xukun shouldn't have dropped basketball for music. Seriously if he had known, he wouldn't have. Then maybe he wouldn't be so broke because his dad thinks music was a joke and he cut him off.

 

He wonders if he should tell his fanclub as Ruibin likes to call them that he was flat broke and see if they can still follow him then.

 

But despite the struggles, Xukun realises that he was actually happy. He has been ever since he decided to quit basketball. Did he miss it? Absolutely.  He has been playing basketball ever since he could walk. Basketball kind of run in his family. But so did music.

 

His mother was a beautiful singer, and Xukun missed her so much. He shakes his head away from those thoughts, now wasn't the time. What he needs now is to find another job on top of the one he had at the restaurant.

 

The money he made barely paid for his expenses, plus he was a bit behind on rent too. He needs to find a roommate asap or move to a cheaper complex.

 

Xukun closes his books and quietly packs up, before he bids his friends goodbye and leaves to go home, he needs a shower and a change if clothes before he goes for his shift. Xukun rolls his eyes as he sees his former teammates avoid him yet again. His former teammates aside from Bufan had all stopped talking to him when he left the team.

 

Xukun makes his way to his apartment complex which wasn't too far from the university, a blessing actually. He drags his feet and just sort of enjoys his walk because usually he was running either in a rush or trying to get away from one of those many girls who keep following him around.

 

As Xukun rounds the corner to his complex, he hears a piercing scream that startles him and he hurries to check out what it was. It sounded like a baby and it was coming from his building, but that can't be right.

 

No one in his building has kids, but he is proven wrong when he sees a guy who seemed a bit older than him, struggle with putting a kid into the stroller whole simultaneously trying to carry a grocery bag. The grocery bag looks like it was five seconds away from falling to the ground.

 

The guy looks worn out even if Xukun cant see his face properly. He rushes forward to go help him with at least his bag. He gets there just in time to save it and the guy looks up and Xukun sucks a breath when he meets the pretty eyes. Tired but very pretty eyes.

 

Who was this guy and why hasn't Xukun met him before if he lives in his building?.

 

“Thank you so much,” the guy says breathing raggedly. The kid in his arms stops screaming and is now looking at Xukun curiously.

 

“Noproblem, um need some help?” Xukun asks him.

 

The guy smiles at him and okay Xukun is now even more mesmerized. He never takes to people fast, he just doesn't,but something about this guy was intriguing him and he is not sure what it is.

 

”Sure, I mean if it's no bother. He’s more fussy than his brother today, I don't know what's wrong he's usually the quiet one,” the guy rambles. The minute he mentions brother is when Xukun notices that the stroller is the kind which carries twins.

 

Woah the guy has two kids, he knows just how much of a nightmare babies can bet. He took care of his baby brother when his mom was in the hospital and his dad couldn't care less about his children.

 

Xukun was only fifteen and it wasn't an easy experience. It had forced him to grow up faster than all of his friends. If one baby was a nightmare, he can't even begin to imagine what two babies was like.

 

Pretty guy must be going through hell and suddenly all Xukun wants is to help him. 

 

“How about I take him and you can carry the bags,” Xukun offers and the pretty guy beams at him again but he seems a bit hesitant to hand him the kid, so Xukun just stares at him.

 

The guy hands him the baby and he is surprised when the baby clings on to Xukun like he's known him for ages. 

 

“Woah, he's usually more shy than his brother, wait where are my manners, I'm Zhengting from apartment 3c,” pretty guy-Zhengting tells him.

 

“I'm Xukun from 4b,” Xukun answers as they walk into the elevator. Xukun wonders why he didn't offer to carry the bags instead of the kid. It would have been the most logical choice but well Xukun usually doesn't do well with logic. And also because he misses his little brother way too much.

 

He should give Zhenghao a call. Despite their age gap, his brother was his best friend.

 

“Oh, you are one floor above me then.” 

 

“Yeah looks like it, what's this little cutie’s name?”

 

“That’s Cheng Cheng and the one who looks like an angel when he's sleeping but is actually a demon when he's awake is Justin.”

 

Xukun laughs at that one and the two of them are silent for the rest of the ride. Zhengting-11 looks like he was about to fall asleep in the elevator and the baby in his arms keeps poking his face curiously.

 

When they get to Zhengting's floor, he tries to take the kid from Xukun's arms but the kid refuses to let go, his chubby hands clutching at Xukun's shirt.

 

“Chengie let him go,” Zhengting chides and the baby glares at his dad. The annoyed look on his face makes him even more adorable, and Xukun is talking about the kid.

 

Yup definitely the kid.

 

The child does not waver at all, he keeps staring at his dad head on its sort of impressive but Xukun intervenes, “It’s alright, I'll walk you to your door.”

 

Zhengting just nods in response and the four of them make their way to the apartment where there is another guy waiting outside their door for them. The guy immediately stands up and smiles when he sees them but the smile disappears when he notices Xukun.

 

“Yanjun?” Zhengting calls in surprise. The baby in his arms seems to recognise the name too because he perks up.

 

The guy smiles lazily, he seems awfully familiar. Both his face and his name.

 

“Hello my dear neighbour,” the guy calls as he stands in front of them and takes the bags from Zhengting.  He flashes Zhengting a smile and Xukun resists the urge to roll his eyes when he sees the blatant flirting.

 

“Who are you?” the guy- Yanjun asks rudely which causes Zhengting to slap his arm, but also curiously like he is trying to place Xukun somewhere.

 

The feeling is mutual asshole, who are you? But just as Xukun was about to open his mouth and ask just that, Zhengting interrupts.

 

“Please don't mind him Xukun, thank you so much for your help. Um when I have time and I finally make some decent food, I'll send some your way as a thank you.” 

 

“No please, I was happy to help..”

 

“Wait Xukun? As in Cai Xukun, campus Casanova? Now I know why you looked so familiar,” dimples interferes and Xukun glares at him but not before he sees Zhengting shooting him a look. Zhengting was probably taken a back with that nickname and Xukun was ready to drop kick dimples.

 

“Isn't it funny how you know me and I have no idea who you are?” Xukun counters and the baby keeps looking between them, his expression is identical to Zhengting's.

 

“And why would you? I'm a law student and you are...what are you exactly? Basketball player or a music major?”

 

“Of course, why am I not surprised? You are one of those pretentious law students, suits you perfectly”

 

“Well we can’t all be musicians or whatever the hell you are. Do you even like music or is it the screaming girls who run after you that you like?”

 

“Jealous? That I have girls or what?”

 

Zhengting rolls his eyes as he watches the two grown ass children have some sort of a pissing contest, is this what kids in college do these days?

 

Before Yanjun can reply Zhengting interferes. “Woah woah back it up boys, you take the bags inside and take Justin too before he wakes up and decides to join in this pissing contest by screaming,” Zhengting says sternly making the guys look at him wide eyed.

 

Zhengting just glares until Yanjun does as he says but then he turns back around and looks at Zhengting questioningly,  to which Zhengting reaches into his back pocket and retrieves the keys to his apartment and he throws them to Yanjun who catches them with his hands.

 

After Yanjun enters the apartment, Zhengting turns to Xukun who has a sheepish look on his face. Xukun feels embarrassed, for his behaviour what dimples said was no different to what he always heard around campus and usually he would have just ignored and walked away but for some reason this time he just couldn't.

 

“I'm sorry about that,” Xukun mumbles apologetically.

 

“It’s fine, don't worry about it. Thanks again,” Zhengting tells him with a smile.

 

“It’s just… I'm not usually like that..”

 

“Xukun, it's okay, I've known Yanjun for a few weeks now and he gets on my nerves too so I get it.l

 

Oh so that was douchebag dimples’ name and yeah now he knows why, dimples hangs around with one of his friends from class, Zhangjing or something. 

 

”Kun.”

 

“What?”

 

“Call me Kun, all my friends do.”

 

“Oh, so we’re friends now?” Zhengting asks raising his eyebrow.

 

Xukun has no idea why he was being so straightforward, because contrary to popular belief,  he was usually shy and awkward.

 

“Yes we are and can you please give me your phone?”

 

Zhengting just stares at him before he shakes his head and takes out his phone, unlocks it, and hands it to him.

 

Xukun quickly puts his number before giving Zhengting his phone back.

 

“Call me if you ever need a babysitter. I could use the cash,” Xukun tells him before finally handing over the baby who had fallen asleep in the midst of all that.

 

“Bye Zhengting, nice to meet you, bye little cutie,” Xukun says and he comes and kisses Cheng cheng's cheek before he walks away with a another small wave.

 

Xukun smiles to himself as he gets into the elevator and as he checks his phone, he sees he is almost late for work so he decides to just head over to the restaurant.

 

Xukun almost feels giddy inside and he wonders why. What just happened?


End file.
